Tray, drawer, or the like



June 27, 1939.

A. H. EETTENHAUSEN TRAY, DRAWER, on THE LIKE Filed March 24, 1958 gwucn'lm A.H. Behenhausen art-yum Patented June 27, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRAY, DRAWER, OR- THE LIKE Lincoln, Nebr.

Application March 24,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to trays which are adapted for general use as trays, my specific embodiment of the invention being adapted especially for the use of mechanics in conveniently arranging their tools.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a sheet metal tray having almost no raw exposed edges to tear the clothing or to cut the fingers of the users or to become torn or marred 19 through contact of a rough edge with other objects.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a tray formed from sheet metal and requiring no bolts or rivets or fastenings other than those resulting from folding and crimping the sheet metal in the making of the tray.

Another of my objects is the provision of a tray construction which is staunch and. rugged and adapted to be subjected to extremely rough han- 20 dling.

Another of my objects is the provision of a tray in which the units may be stacked in superposed relation in a manner such that all parts of each tray are readily accessible to the user.

'=2'5 Still another object which I have in view is the provision of trays which may be stacked in superposed units, each tray being provided with adjustable means for correcting the tendency of the tray to sag under heavy loads.

30 It is also my object to provide a stack of trays and so mounted that there will be no interference between the trays of the stack when swinging the trays to opening or closing position.

Having in view these objects and others which 35 will be pointed out in the following description, I

will now refer to the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a View in isometric projection of my tray as seen when looking into the tray and toward the hinge corner of the tray.

40 Figure 2 is a view in vertical section showing the wall construction of my tray and showing also the tubular member of the corner hinge for the tray.

Figure 3 is a view in horizontal section showing 45 the mounting of the tubular hinge member and the means for adjusting the hinge to correct sagging in the tray.

Figure 4 is a view in isometric projection showing a fragment of the shaft support for the trays 50 and the washer which is interposed between two trays.

Figure 5 is an isometric view of a cabinet showing one of the many possible arrangements for the trays.

55 Figure 6 is a view in vertical section of a drawer 1938, Serial No. 197,852

having a wall construction similar to that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.

Figure 7 is a view in horizontal section of the same drawer.

The floor ll] of the tray has a downturned 5 flange which consists of inner and outer layers I I and I2 respectively formed by the bending of the sheet metal at its ends and sides. The layers ii and I2 are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet metal. The ends and sides of the tray are also double and they consist of an inner layer I3 and an outer layer [4. In the assembly of the vertical walls with the floor l0 the layer I3 is forced down 15 between the layers II and [2 while the outer layer [4 is crimped around the outer sides of the layers [2 and II, terminating in a layer Ma. Reference to Figure 2 will disclose the fact that the only cut edge is seated Within the angle formed by the floor and the layer H and that this cut edge lies against the under side of the floor Iii and is, so inaccessible that nothing is ever liable to come into contact with that edge. The only exposed edge in the entire tray is shown at 5 in Figure 1 and this is preferably placed at the back of the tray and relatively close to the hinge of the tray. The edge is of course exposed at both the inner and outer sides of the rear wall but the outer side is entirely inaccessible to the user either when opening a tray or when using the tools enclosed in the tray, The inner edge is positioned so far in the rear of the tray that the users fingers never come into contact with it.

For heavy duty work the tray is reinforced by means of a strap l6 of iron or the like in rectan1- gular form. The ends of this strap may be secured together so as to provide a closed rectangle. The layers l3 and M of the side and end walls are then formed about the reinforcing strap l6 which then determines the dimensions of the tray.

The tray may be used in any number of different ways one of which is shown in Figure 5 in which a cabinet is arranged for the storage of a plurality of trays, six being shown in that figure. These trays are hingedly secured in the cabinet in a manner such that any individual tray may be drawn out to expose its contents or that a number of trays may be drawn out in fan shape as shown in Figure 5 to give the user access to the toolsv in all of the trays. For this purpose I provide a hinge of novel form which secures the trays in the cabinet in a manner such that any of the trays may be drawn out with the minimum of effort. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a reinforcing strap i1 is secured to the under side of the floor It], the strap being provided with apertures l8 for the passage therethrough of bolts [9 or rivets or the like. Anchored in the strap IT is the lower end portion of a tubular hinge member 20, the hinge member extending to a distance slightly above the mouth of the tray. At 2| I show a stationary hinge member which is square in cross section. This hinge member is secured at its top and bottom in the corner of the cabinet 22 or to shelves or brackets or in any other position in which it is desired to employ the trays. The diagonal of the hinge member 2| is slightly less than the internal diameter of the hinge member 20. Interposed between each pair of superposed trays is a washer 23 having a square aperture so that the washer as well as the hinge member 2| is stationary and nonrotatable. While I have shown the hinge member 2| in square cross section it is obvious that any other noncircular hinge member will serve the purpose if the aperture in the washer 23 is such as to hold the washer nonrotatable with respect to the hinge member, Even a cylindrical hinge member might be used in place of the hinge member 2| but it would then be necessary to employ set screws or other means for preventing the rotation of the washer on the hinge member.

Since these trays are to be used for relatively heavy loads of mechanics tools, there is a tendency for the trays to sag and thus to interfere with each other in the opening or closing of the trays. For this reason I employ the adjusting means shown in Figure 3. The outer cylindrical walls of the hinge member 20 are slightly flattened as shown in that figure. Set screws 24 are made to pass through the reinforcing strap l6 and through the sheet metal walls and against the tubular hinge member 20. By turning these screws the planes of the trays may be brought into horizontal relation so that they will not interfere with each other when opening or closing the trays.

The construction above described is adapted for many uses other than that of the trays shown in Figure 1. FiguresGand '7 illustrate a modification in which the same wall arrangement is employed in the construction of a drawer. The floor I and the layers ll, I2, [3, l4, and Ma, are identical to those of the tray construction. With the drawer the front wall is doubled or folded upon itself but the two side walls are spread at their front ends into right angled projections 25 which are seated between the layers of the front wall. Figure '7 shows the construction as used when front flanges at the sides are needed but these flanges may be omitted without materially departing from the construction as above described. In the case of the drawer in Figures 6 and '7, all cut edges are seated within the right angles where they are entirely inaccessible.

Having thus described my invention in such full, clear, and exact terms that its construction and operation will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to which it pertains, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A tray having side and end walls arranged in rectangular relation, a floor in said tray, a tubular hinge member projecting upwardly from said floor at a corner thereof, a stationary vertical shaft passing through said tubular hinge member whereby said tray may be swung about the vertical axis of said shaft, and adjustable means for correcting the tendency of said tray to sag at the free corner thereof.

2. A tray having side and end walls arranged in rectangular relation, a floor in said tray, a tubular hinge member projecting upwardly from said floor at a corner thereof, a stationary vertical shaft passing through said tubular hinge member whereby said tray may be swung about the vertical axis of said shaft, and set screws passing through contiguous end and side walls of said tray adjacent the hinge thereof, said set screws bearing against said tubular hinge memher.

3. A tray having side and end walls arranged in rectangular relation, a floor in said tray, a rectangular reinforcing strap in the top portions of said side and end walls, a tubular hinge member projecting upwardly from said floor at a corner thereof, a stationary vertical shaft passing through said tubular hinge member whereby said tray may be swung about the vertical axis of said shaft, and set screws passing through contiguous end and side walls of said tray and through said reinforcing strap adjacent the hinge of said tray, said set screws bearing against said tubular hinge member.

4. A tray having a rectangular floor, a tubular pivot member passing through said floor at a corner thereof and rigidly secured thereto, a stationary nonrotatable shaft passing through said tubular pivot member, a washer secured to said shaft and held against rotation relative thereto, and means at one corner of said tray and coacting with said tubular pivot member for adjustably maintaining said tray in horizontal position.

ARNOLD H. BETTENHAUSEN. 

